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a_fret_argent 's review for:
The Falcon and the Foe
by A.J. Truman
DID NOT FINISH: 43%
DNF @ 43%
Ok, I have some thoughts and feelings about this book and they aren't great.
1. See, the thing about "enemies to lovers" is that it kind of has to be a slow burn to work, and that's what I love about the dynamic. If all it takes for your characters to stop hating each other is working together to get a couple of tents off of a high shelf, it really doesn't deserve that label and is going to disappoint fans of that trope.
2. The dynamic in general - I feel like the author was going for the extroverted ADHDer / introverted autist vibe, which again, is a dynamic I usually love. But somehow it just didn't work and I actively disliked both MCs.
3. Alright, this is kind of a big one. The fatphobia. I love that this book incorporated an all-too-rare-in-MM-romance overweight character. However, this character is also portrayed as slovenly, sloppy / unkempt, and occasionally lazy. I probably don't need to explain how that ropes in a whole bunch of negative stereotypes of larger people. And it's possible that the author was trying to illustrate that the other characters see him this way because of their own internalized fatphobia, but it really doesn't feel like that (it's consistent among all viewpoints and in the narration). I recognize that I might be doing the book a disservice by not sticking around to see if the author redeems it later (feel free to comment and let me know if I'm way off base based on the remainder of the book), but so far the book only seems to be reinforcing those stereotypes, and I was tired of subjecting myself to it.
In summary, even at 3x speed on audio I couldn't make myself finish (Nick J. Russo does great narration, though). Maybe this book is a win for certain audiences, but I am not among that audience.
Ok, I have some thoughts and feelings about this book and they aren't great.
1. See, the thing about "enemies to lovers" is that it kind of has to be a slow burn to work, and that's what I love about the dynamic. If all it takes for your characters to stop hating each other is working together to get a couple of tents off of a high shelf, it really doesn't deserve that label and is going to disappoint fans of that trope.
2. The dynamic in general - I feel like the author was going for the extroverted ADHDer / introverted autist vibe, which again, is a dynamic I usually love. But somehow it just didn't work and I actively disliked both MCs.
3. Alright, this is kind of a big one. The fatphobia. I love that this book incorporated an all-too-rare-in-MM-romance overweight character. However, this character is also portrayed as slovenly, sloppy / unkempt, and occasionally lazy. I probably don't need to explain how that ropes in a whole bunch of negative stereotypes of larger people. And it's possible that the author was trying to illustrate that the other characters see him this way because of their own internalized fatphobia, but it really doesn't feel like that (it's consistent among all viewpoints and in the narration). I recognize that I might be doing the book a disservice by not sticking around to see if the author redeems it later (feel free to comment and let me know if I'm way off base based on the remainder of the book), but so far the book only seems to be reinforcing those stereotypes, and I was tired of subjecting myself to it.
In summary, even at 3x speed on audio I couldn't make myself finish (Nick J. Russo does great narration, though). Maybe this book is a win for certain audiences, but I am not among that audience.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia